Heather MacD's Journal

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14 August 2023

Honestly, even though the scale has not moved in weeks I am noticing differences in my clothes. So I suspect I'm in a hard-core, long-lasting rebalance of my system.
The new meds are sort of helping in that I am no longer on a 15+ times a day going to the toilet to empty my bowels. And hey, at least I finally have a diagnosis after what 8-10 years of undiagnosed IBS. It is IBS or rather it is IBS-D. I have read about the various tests that some countries do to decide if it's IBS or Bile Acid malabsorption or something else.
And yes, I feel like a guinea pig with the Cholestyramine but at the same time, this falls into my way of thinking of less is more. I've only been taking it for 13 days and the first 7 days I went with the 1/2 pk rather than what my gastro doc said of a full pk and if I get constipated to go to the 1/2 pk. That didn't make sense in my head. So I went my route which has caused less havoc within my body. And yes, the Cholestyramine is the most foul thing I've had to take, medicine wise, to date. The grit of the medicine and there version of flavouring (mine is wannabee orange flavour) are offensive. But I have learned to use a water bottle 1/2 full, dump in the pkg, cap back on & shake the dickens out of it then wait and shake again and then drain it into my gullet all at once. It is the only way I can do it...lol.
The D has lessened somewhat but I still have it. From what my Gastro doc said, it will take many weeks before I feel the full effect of it, that is if it is bile acid malabsorption. This is guesswork rather than actual testing for it so I am not sure if I'm really comfortable with doing things this way. Less invasive? Yes. More room for error? Yes. But at the end of the day I still stay home because I do not trust my bowels and I have to use my coping mechanisms if/when I have to go out for appointment's or for shopping.

Thanks for letting me ramble.
Enjoy your day.

Weight:	Lost so far:	Still to go:	Diet followed:
108.9 kg	5.4 kg	18.1 kg	Reasonably Well

(2 comments) steady weight

02 August 2023

Not fully back but thought I'd give everyone an update. (going to copy & paste from my FB cause I'm in no mood for rewriting stuff).

T2 Diabetes:
I've managed to get my A1C from 6.7% 3 months ago down to 6.1%. If I can maintain or get my A1C even lower we may be looking at a reduction in my Diabetes meds when I go back to see my Endocrinologist in October. I was informed that this is all my doing and not the Janumet medicine I'm on. The Janumet is responsible for only about 3% in managing my T2D. I should be happy but I am still feeling very guarded about it.

Chronic Bowel Issues:
I just had my follow-up with my Gastro Doctor and he said the results from the colonoscopy/biopsies all came back clear meaning there is no cancer or any other life threatening issues. However, my chronic issues still continue.
It is IBS.
I had issues with the Metamucil/Restorlax concoction during the time from colonoscopy to follow-up. But now we are going to try Cholestyramine to determine if this is related to undiagnosed bile acid malabsorption or if it is just straight IBS. Bile Acid malabsorption mimics many of the same symptoms of IBS.
And I, as a non-medical person, am seeing the correlation of things going back to my liver of which we already know I have issues with (NAFLD).

Then 5 days ago I did this:
"Damn did I ever make one hell of a noob mistake this morning. I had gone to Lady York to get my Promise Gluten Free bread and had seen Carbonaut bread there as well so I bought a loaf to try. Tried one slice with butter and it was tolerable. Toasted 2 slices to make a sandwich for breakfast as well. Now I'm in a whole heap of abdominal & back pain 3 hours later. Why? Dumb dumb me didn't really look at the label properly BEFORE eating it. I assumed the 15g fiber was for a serving. Nope. Per slice. And I ate 3 slices. FML!!!!!"

Took me till Monday to finally start feeling more normal. Today (8/2) I started the Cholestyramine - not impressed. I decided to start with the 1/2 dose rather than doing the full dose & then cutting back if constipated. I'm in no mood for more pain and yet today was full of it with nausea added in for good measure. This will be a very rough road if this happens daily. And the Doc said it will take several weeks for this to actually work if it is in fact the bile acid malabsorption.

Mentally, I'm not dealing well with this crap. I dropped my mic and walked away. Nothing against you folk but this is my coping mechanism. Depression & Anxiety are in full swing once again. Actually, they have been in full swing since the colonoscopy but who's counting, right?

August is follow-up testing to see if my Glaucoma results have changed.

Weight has been going up and down but never lower than 240. Then again with all the other stuff added in I'm shocked that I haven't ballooned up again. I guess there are small mercies.

Anyways, long post but that is where I'm at.

Weight:	Lost so far:	Still to go:	Diet followed:
108.9 kg	5.4 kg	18.1 kg	Reasonably Well

(4 comments) steady weight

10 June 2023

6/10 Fasting blood sugar 6.3 mmol/L

I'm still around but got sidetracked/stressed dealing with ODSP. Between that and trying to inhale the least amount of smoke from the fires in Ontario & Quebec, my mental stability went down a few pegs. Stress gets me every, single, freaking time...ugh.

Anyways,

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Weight:	Lost so far:	Still to go:	Diet followed:
108.9 kg	5.4 kg	18.1 kg	Reasonably Well

(3 comments) steady weight

01 June 2023

6/1 Fasting Blood Sugar 7.0 mmol/L

Windows closed - check
Balcony door closed - check
Curtains closed - check
Fans running - check
No cooking food for today - check
Brita filled - check

Ok, I think I'm ready for the heat wave. I have an A/C unit but the problem is I'm not allowed to have it in my living room window because the property management deems it hazardous due to an accident in one of their other buildings and I can't afford to buy the portable A/C (the one with the hose). And the window that it would go in sits above the balcony. And the other fact is that I have no little ones who come into my apt. But I run the risk of loosing my apt if I am caught with the a/c in the window. FML!!

And it's not so much the heat as it is the humidity. Currently in my apt is 28.6C but with a 30% humidity. Go outside and it's 32.8C and 43% humidity and it's only 9am. Well at least based on my Accu|Temp temperature/humidity device it is. So my goal today is to do very little and hope the next two days pass by quickly.

Hope everyone else is doing well today.

(3 comments)

31 May 2023

5/31 Fasting Blood Sugar 7.3 mmol/L

Lack of sleep.

And the fact that I ate GF pasta last night (made a GF Hamburger Helper). I'm also coming to realize that the serving size (85g) dry is too much for me to eat in one sitting after it's cooked. I tried PC GF Macaroni Pasta for the first time which is comprised of corn flour. That's all the ingredients listed. Not sure what they do to make it retain it's shape though, both dry and cooked. I think next time I will bring it down to 45g and try again. Somewhere along the line I might find a balance. I mean, don't get me wrong, the pasta was not bad and I needed the macaroni shaped pasta for my dish. I am thinking that the Catelli GF pasta I do better on because theirs is a mix of GF grains even though it too has corn in it. If I really want to do "pasta" right I'm going to have to learn how to make it with certain less offending flours or go back to my protein sparing noodles.

The things I ponder as soon as I get up.
*sips some more of the 1st cup of coffee*

Have a pleasant day everyone.

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